Method of weakening strip material in section rolling processes

ABSTRACT

A method for section rolling metal strip in the longitudinal direction thereof, said strip being weakened prior to rolling, along lines which determine the division of the finished product into required lengths. The weakening of the strip is effected in such a way that it determines the moment during the actual rolling operation when the division shall take place.

UnitedStates Patent 1 Jansson 1 Dec. 11, 1973 METHOD or WEAKENlNG STRIP MATERIAL 1N SECTION ROLLING PROCESSES [76] Inventor: Sixten Vincent Jansson,

Sleipnergatan 6, Lulea, Sweden [22] Filed: Mar. 25, 1971 [21] Appl. N0.: 127,965

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 11, 1968 Sweden 3179/68 [52] US. Cl 72/129, 72/203, 72/181, 29/413 [51] Int. Cl B21d 13/04, 326d 1/18, B26d 1/24 [58] Field of Search 72/203, 199, 129, 72/132, 325; 83/12; 225/2, 4, 96; 29/413 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,582,063 1/1952 Fitzewitz 29/413 2,766,516 10/1956 Chantler 29/413 3,155,300 11/1964 Bayliss 29/413 X 3,144,709 8/1964 Hansson et a1. 29/413 3,031,671 5/1962 Wilson et al 72/129 X 2,708,958 5/1955 Crafton 72/129 Primary Examiner-Milton S. Mehr Attorney-Young & Thompson [57] ABSTRACT A method for section rolling metal strip in the longitudinal direction thereof, said strip being weakened prior to rolling, along lines which determine the division of the finished product into required lengths. The weakening of the strip is effected in such a way that it determines the moment during the actual rolling operation when the division shall take place.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1. METHOD OF WEAKENING STRIP MATERIAL IN SECTION ROLLING PROCESSES This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Ser. No. 805,493, filed Mar. 10, I969, now abandoned.

The present invention is concerned with a method of, when section rolling strip metal in the longitudinal direction thereof, weakening said strip prior to rolling, along lines which determine the division of the finished product in required lengths.

The earliest methods of cutting sectioned metal strip entailed dividing the strip, after shaping, by sawing or shearing or by means of grinding wheels. With regard to the innumerable types of sections now required in different fields and for different purposes, which sections may be produced with double-fold support edges and borders, division of the strip by shearing methods is no longer suitable, since such methods would deform the section. Sawing and grinding methods leave ragged and burred surfaces, and may possibly damage surface finishes such as fragile paint or varnish layers necessitating expensive, essentially manual finishing treatment of the section.

It is also known to use later methods in which the sheet metal is weakened by score lines, along which the material is intended to break subsequent to being sectioned or shaped in the longitudinal direction thereof. In this instance the sections are delivered in lengths which have been weakened at specific positions and which are intended to be severed by means of special mechanical devices at at least one of said positions to adapt to local conditions. Thus the section, subsequent to being worked in a section rolling mill or the like, must be subjected manually to mechanical operations, whereby'the edges where the break occurs are left ragged and possibly the surface finish damaged.

The invention is therefore .concerned with a method which is not encumbered with the aforementioned disadvantages, and is mainly characterized in that weakening of the material is effected in such a way thatit determines the moment during the actual rolling operation when the division shall take place.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention weakening of the material is effected by scoring the surface of the metal strip on one or both sides thereof, the depth of the score line determining the moment in the rolling operation at which the strip is divided. No damage of the aforementioned type occurs when dividing the strip as advocated by the present invention.

For the purpose of illustrating the method according to the invention the following description is made with reference to a machine illustrated in the accompanying drawing in combination with a-section mill for carrying out the method. The exemplary machine works with cutting rollers, although other elements may be used which perforate the metal strip, or a guillotine with controlled movement.

In the drawing,

FIG. I is a diagrammatic plan view of apparatus according to the present invention in combination with a section nil];

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a corrugated profile rolled by the section mill of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic partly sectional side view of the scoringmechanism shown in FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, there is shown apparatus according to the present invention, in which a drum or reel 1 serves as a supply for metal strip 2 which is fed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. I through a scoring mechanism 3 for the metal strip which may be hot or cold rolled and also surface treated. In the scoring mechanism 3, travelling supports 4 carry cutting rollers 5 thereon which only partially cut through the strip in a manner that will be described in greater detail later on.

The scored strip then continues in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1, to asection mill 6 which in this instance comprises three roll pairs 7,. 8 and 9, each roll pair being comprised by two complementarily corrugated rolls which impart to the strip 2 a corrugated profile, shown in FIG. 2, as the strip passes between the rolls. Of course it is possible according to the invention to impart any other desired profile to the strip 2.

Referring now in greater detail to the structure and operation of the scoring mechanism 3, as best seen in FIG. 3, it will be appreciated that the travelling supports 4 move along horizontal opposed U-shaped channels 11 and 12 on wheels 13 so that. supports 4 reciprocate across the strip 2. The two supports 4 move synchronously with each other and in the same vertical plane and are coupled together by means of roller chains (not shown) which pass over gear wheels and runners at the ends of each pair of channels 11 and 12 and which by means of hydraulic or other drive means move the supports and also the rollers 5 across a strip 2 during their scoring operation. Each pair of channels is adjustable both laterally and vertically with respect to the strip thereby to adjust the depth to which the rollers 5 weakenthe strip and to make sure that the rollers 5 operate in the same vertical plane. The channels 11, 12 can also be adjusted to any desired angle in relation to the longitudinal direction of the strip, so that the ad vance of the strip need not be halted during scoring. Thus, by adjustment means (not shown), the scoring device 3 may be shifted from its position shown in FIG. 3 perpendicular to strip 2, to an oblique position as seen in FIG. I, so that the scoring rollers 5 will have a component of movement in the direction of the arrow in FIG. I but no relative movement lengthwise of the strip itself. In this way, the scoring lines are maintained perpendicualr to the strip.

In order to maintain the scoring lines perpendicular to the strip, it is also possible to provide conventional systems of vertically movable rolls for forming the releasing verticalbights in the strip before and after the scoring station, so that a portion of the strip to be scored will halt momentarily in the scoring station while the rest of the strip continues to travel through the rest of the apparatus.

To predetermine the score depth, it is of course possible to mount the channels II and 12 for adjustive movement toward and away from the strip, by means of adjustmentscrews or springs of adjustable force (not shown) or other conventional mechanisms which are well known to persons skilled in this art and which accordingly need not be disclosed in greater detail.

The desired score depth is set by means of special setting means. By means of the described machine 3 the strip 2, before being shaped .in the section mill 6, is scored by the cutting rollers such as 5 to a depth which is decided and set with regard to the thickness and hardness of the metal strip. In this respect the depth to which the strip is scored is so adjusted according to the invention that the strip 2, for the purpose of obtaining the requisite guidance of said strip in the section mil 6, which is of great importance regarding the shape of the section passes undivided through at least two pairs of rolls such as the pairs presenting rolls 7 and 8 but is divided gradually from the center of the score line during its movement through said pair so that the strip is completely severed at the position most suitable with regard to the shape of the section and which in the exemplary embodiment is shown on the drawing by line 10.

The invention is based on co-operation of the scoring mechanism 3 with the profiling mill 6, the strip material 2 being compressed along the scores by the cutting discs so that the atomic structure of the material remaining in the score is altered. In all profile rolling the yield point of the material is surpassed and during rolling of the scores 10 the breaking point of the material along the scores is surpassed. If, for example, sheet material having a thickness of 1 mm is rolled, the cutting discs on the opposite sides of the material are set to cut to a depth such that in the scores there remains a thick- I mess of material of 0.2 mm and the breaking point of a score is reached after the material passes the fifth pair of rolling rollers. If the cutting depth of the discs 5 is set so that after scoring the thickness of material remaining in the score is 0.1 mm the breaking point of the score will be reached after the material has, for example, passed the second pair of rolling rollers. Thus it will be understood that by setting the cutting depth of the cutting discs 5 the length of the final profile rolled section can be determined.

As a result of the invention it is thus possible to predetermine the moment during rolling when the strip is to be severed, which is achieved by adjusting the depth to which the metal is scored.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A method of section-rolling metal strip in the longitudinal direction thereof to form finished products of required lengths, comprising advancing a metal strip in the direction of its length, cutting grooves across the metal strip in a direction perpendicular to the length of the strip without severing sections from the strip, and then passing the grooved strip in the direction of its length through a succession of strip-profiling rolls that form corrugations in the strip with the length of the corrugations extending parallel to the length of the strip, said grooves being cut to such depth that the portions of the strip between the grooves are separated from each other in said succession of rolls without bending of the strip about said grooves.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the grooves are cut in both of the opposite surfaces of the strip with the grooves in one surface in register with grooves in the-other surface. 

1. A method of section-rolling metal strip in the longitudinal direction thereof to form finished products of required lengths, comprising advancing a metal strip in the direction of its length, cutting grooves across the metal strip in a direction perpendicular to the length of the strip without severing sections from the strip, and then passing the grooved strip in the direction of its length through a succession of stripprofiling rolls that form corrugations in the strip with the length of the corrugations extending parallel to the length of the strip, said grooves being cut to such depth that the portions of the strip between the grooves are separated from each other in said succession of rolls without bending of the strip about said grooves.
 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the grooves are cut in both of the opposite surfaces of the strip with the grooves in one surface in register with grooves in the other surface. 